[QUOTE]The only human feeding trial ever published confirmed that genetic material from Roundup Ready soy transferred into the gut bacteria in three of seven human volunteers.[/QUOTE]

What! So these people [I]actually ended up with Roundup Ready gut bacteria.[/I]

But it gets worse.

Mr. Smith then starts talking about bt -- [I]Bacillus thuringiensis[/I]. U.S. regulators allowed Monsanto to transfer genes from a soil organism into corn. It seems this is another gene that [I]does[/I] survive the digestive process, despite claims to contrary. Now bt works because it "... breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them".

IOW, it damages the insects' guts. The worry is that it could be poking holes in humans' guts, since the gene survives the digestive process and can transfer into gut bacteria.

Now here's something that should give us pause for thought:

At a Canadian hospital

[quote][bt] toxin was identified in [B]93% of 30 pregnant women[/B] [and] [B]80% of umbilical blood[/B] in their babies ...[/quote]

And:

[QUOTE]The fact that it flows through our blood supply, and that is passes through the placenta into fetuses, may help explain the rise in many disorders in the US since Bt crop varieties were first introduced in 1996[/QUOTE]

Sean Croxton, summing up, said that what GMOs amounted to was a massive science experiment with totally unpredictible consequences performed on millions of people without their consent.

07-16-2012, 10:54 AM

teach2183

And those of us that can't afford to buy organic have no way to fight back. Go hungry but eat real food or be full but eat GMO. Can't wait for at least some labeling of regular produce in the US!

07-16-2012, 10:57 AM

June68

I was blown away by that talk, too, but alas, I doubt it will change much. Monsanto seems to have too much of a choke hold...plus the equivalent of stormtroopers. :mad:

07-16-2012, 11:13 AM

aix_sponsa

Very disturbing.

07-16-2012, 12:48 PM

homunculus

wow I am really glad most GM crops are banned in europe...

07-16-2012, 12:52 PM

Finnegans Wake

[QUOTE=teach2183;902260]And those of us that can't afford to buy organic have no way to fight back. Go hungry but eat real food or be full but eat GMO. Can't wait for at least some labeling of regular produce in the US![/QUOTE]

Buying organic in the sense of pesticide-free is one thing, but organic GMO-free is another. Most GMO crops are avoided in Primal anyway: corn, soy, wheat, cottonseed, canola... If you're eating non-organic apples and lettuce, that does not mean you're eating GMOs. And frankly, I often see organics in supermarkets that are the same price as non-organic. Or find a quality farmers' market, where the produce is often far cheaper than in markets.

Cost should not be a concern in GMO avoidance.

07-16-2012, 01:02 PM

Lewis

There's another issue simmering here.

Even if you avoid buying GMO cereals (as you would with Paleo) and vegetables, there's the question of what livestock is fed on:

[QUOTE]etting back to the Bt-toxin now circulating in the blood of North American adults and newborns—how did it get there? The study authors speculate that it was consumed in the normal diet of the Canadian middle class. They even suggest that the toxin may have come from eating meat from animals fed Bt corn—as most livestock are.[/QUOTE]

If the labelling law goes through in California, the GMO food may disappear from supermarket shelves, because consumers are clued-up enough to avoid it when they can clearly see it, but the cows and chickens aren't in a position to read the labels on feedsacks and make a judgment on whether to eat the contents or not.

07-16-2012, 01:14 PM

Finnegans Wake

That's a great point, Lewis, and another reason to emphasize grass-fed. The worrisome thing for me is that even the most diligent sustainable/organic farmers will sometimes supplement their chicken feed with grain, and so that's a point of entry.

I wonder where the tipping point for bt is: how readily the body eliminates it in smaller amounts, and how much one has to ingest for it to start to appear in a statistically meaningful concentration. (Which is...?) There are so many damned questions with GMOs and precious few answers.

07-18-2012, 08:30 AM

JoanieL

Uh oh; my true paranoia... GMOs.

Documentary called, "The Future of Food," - it's old; I can't remember whether 2004 or 2008. I think you can find it free on hulu.

The revolving door between Monsanto and the FDA, USDA, and EPA, and why this shit is happening. High up execs at Monsanto becoming heads of these govt agencies, then go back to Monsanto and back again.

You know the sticky labels on produce that denote, traditionally grown, organic, and GMO? Corn doesn't have the labels. You know who owns the patent on GMO corn? Monsanto.

The four crops you need to watch: corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat. Monsanto owns all the patents on genetically modifying these crops.

God bless the United Corporations of America.

07-18-2012, 08:37 AM

teach2183

[QUOTE=Finnegans Wake;902408]
Cost should not be a concern in GMO avoidance.[/QUOTE]

Perhaps for YOU. But some us have to choose between eating the amount of food we need and buying organic, GMO-free. The farmer's markets in my area are still double what's in the store. Ever consider that IL and PA are quite different? We don't know what's GMO in this country because it isn't labeled. My family can NOT afford to pay double (or more, eggs are 4x) for everything we eat. Maybe some day in the future.